Freddie Hubbard

CD version. Blue Spirits was the last of Freddie Hubbard's 1960s studio albums for Blue Note. Recorded in February 1965 and issued at the start of 1967, it gathers five Hubbard originals, each arranged for a four-horn front line. It closes the run of records that began with his label debut in 1960.

The music comes from two sessions a week apart at Van Gelder Studio. James Spaulding on alto saxophone and flute and Kiane Zawadi on euphonium play on both. On 19 February the tenor saxophonist was Joe Henderson, with Harold Mabern at the piano. On 26 February Hank Mobley took the tenor chair and McCoy Tyner the piano, each session with its own bassist and drummer.

The first date produced the opening Soul Surge and the percolating Cunga Black, where the congas of Big Black are added to the rhythm section. The second gave the record its mesmerising title track and the hard-charging Outer Forces and Jodo. With euphonium beside trumpet and two saxophones, and Spaulding moving to flute on some pieces, the ensemble writing has a fuller colour than the usual hard bop front line.

In his AllMusic review, Scott Yanow observed that none of these tunes caught on as standards, but found the music challenging and fairly memorable. The album also documents Hubbard's partnership with Spaulding, who had worked with him on record for the previous two years. Later CD editions added two pieces from a 1966 session, The Melting Pot and True Colors, which are not part of the original LP or of this disc.

This is the Japanese Ultimate High Quality CD from Universal Music Japan (UCCQ-9650, 2024), remastered by Kevin Gray, with the original five-track programme. It comes in a jewel case with obi, with the original sleeve notes by Nat Hentoff reproduced on the back inlay.